Israeli president resigns, avoids rape charges, jail

JERUSALEM — Israeli President Moshe Katzav agreed to resign Thursday under an unexpected plea bargain that included no jail time for sex crimes, ending a year-long investigation.

Matti Friedman

JERUSALEM — Israeli President Moshe Katzav agreed to resign Thursday under an unexpected plea bargain that included no jail time for sex crimes, ending a year-long investigation.

Katzav admitted to charges of sexual harassment and obstruction of justice, but rape charges were dropped.

The plea deal was widely seen as a victory for the Israeli president, who holds a largely ceremonial post but is expected to set moral standards and help unify the country in times of trouble.

His accusers and women's rights activists condemned the deal.

The announcement by Attorney General Meni Mazuz abruptly ended a case that captured the public's attention, painting Katsav as a boss who repeatedly took advantage of his female employees.

In the space of a year, Katsav sank from being "Israel's No. 1 citizen to a convicted sex offender," Mazuz told a news conference.

Katsav is one of several high-level officials — including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert — who recently have been implicated in scandals.

The president, whose seven-year term was due to end next month, planned to formally resign later Thursday, said his spokesman, Ronen Tzur. Katsav suspended himself in January to fight the charges.

Katsav, who had always proclaimed his innocence, agreed to the plea bargain "after the smear campaign of the past year, and in order to spare his family the pain" of a prolonged legal process, Tzur said.

The deal also marked a dramatic reversal by the attorney general, who announced plans in January to indict Katsav for graver charges of rape and sexual misconduct.

Instead, Katsav will plead guilty to sexual harassment, indecent acts and harassing a witness, Mazuz said. He also will pay damages to plaintiffs and receive a suspended sentence.

Mazuz said the deal came at Katsav's request and was finalized just moments before Thursday's news conference. He explained that some of the allegations would have been difficult to prove in court.

Mazuz also said he took into consideration the damage a prolonged trial would have caused to "the national institution of the presidency and the image of the state of Israel."

Kineret Barashi, an attorney for one of the plaintiffs, said Katsav received special treatment.

"There is no public interest in reaching a plea bargain and reducing his sentence just because we're talking about the president, and only because we're concerned about how we'll look to the world," she told Channel 2 TV.

Katsav, who immigrated to Israel from Iran as a child, began his political career in a poor town in Israel's south, worked his way up to a back-bench position in the hard-line Likud party, and later became a Cabinet minister. Considered a political lightweight, Katsav stunned Israelis when parliament elected him President seven years ago, delivering a stinging defeat to Shimon Peres, the country's elder statesman.

Allegations against Katsav first surfaced a year ago, and his accusers eventually included four women who worked with him in the president's office and earlier when he was tourism minister.

At Thursday's press conference, Mazuz acknowledged that allegations from several other women could not be pursued because they fell under the statute of limitations.

Miriam Schler, of the Rape Crisis Center in Tel Aviv, called the deal a "travesty."

"Basically, it gives a message to women who were raped and attacked or sexually assaulted by men in positions of power that it's better for them to sit at home and be quiet and not tell anyone about it because it's not worth it for them to actually file a complaint with the police," Shler said.

In May, Mazuz allowed Katsav's attorneys to appear before him at a hearing to plead their case, a customary practice in cases involving senior officials. At that hearing, new evidence was presented, Mazuz said Thursday. He gave no further details.

Following a furious diatribe at a news conference where he accused the media of being on a witch hunt, Katsav stepped aside in January to fight the allegations, but did not quit. Parliament Speaker Dalia Itzik has served as acting president since then.

Peres was elected earlier this month to take over the presidency when Katsav's term expires. The 83-year-old Nobel peace laureate, who takes office July 15, had no comment on the plea bargain.

The Katsav scandal was one of several to have tainted the ranks of the Israeli leadership.

Olmert has been accused of corruption in connection with several real estate and business deals transacted before he become prime minister.

Former Justice Minister Haim Ramon, an Olmert ally, lost his job earlier this year and was convicted of an indecent act for forcibly kissing a female soldier.

Finance Minister Avraham Hirchson, a longtime Olmert friend, is under investigation in an embezzlement case and has suspended himself from office.

And a powerful lawmaker and Olmert ally, Tzahi Hanegbi, faces charges of fraud, bribery and perjury in connection with appointments he made as a Cabinet minister.

Advertise

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
seacoastonline.com ~ 111 New Hampshire Ave., Portsmouth, NH 03801 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service